Where It All Began
by Tabby Grey
Summary: This fanfic will be the seven years of Hogwarts in which the Marauders attended. This particular fanfic will be from James' point of view. I will also do one from Sirius, Remus, Severus, Lily, and of course, Peter.


"James! Come into the house.. Snitch has got a letter for you." James Potter sighed, flew down from where he had been circling, and walked into the house. He had been practicing hard, and he knew he'd make the team his second year. James crossed the kitchen to his mother, who was holding a letter.

"Go ahead. Open it." His father watched over the top of his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Timothy and Elisabeth watched anxiously as James slowly opened the envelope, which was addressed to "Mr. James Potter, 566 Aberforth Drive, The Upstairs Bedroom, Godric's Hollow."

James opened the envelope, and out fell two pieces of parchment. He read the first one. "Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Hogwarts Express will depart from King's Cross Station at noon on September 1st, at Platform 9 3/4. Enclosed is a list of supplies you will need for this year. You can buy them in Diagon Alley, in London. We will see you on the first of September.

Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore."

James took a brief look at the second piece of parchment. "Standard Size Two Pewter Cauldron, wand, Hogwarts, A History...Wow! When can we go get this stuff?" James' eyes shone as he looked excitedly into his parents' faces. They smiled, and his mother answered,

"Well, James, we figured we'd go today. We knew you'd be excited."

James grinned, and ran back up to his bedroom to dress. He looked out the window at Godric's Hollow, one of the world's only all wizard settlements. This meant they didn't have to hide their magic, or move to a remote location. They could play Quidditch with their neighbors. In fact, they frequently did, they would have tournaments every Sunday. James had even named his owl after the tiniest of the Quidditch balls, the Snitch. He always dreamed of being on the Hogwarts Quidditch team, like his dad had been. His father was a Chaser, but James dreamed of being a Seeker. He had the perfect build for it, small and light. His vision wasn't the greatest, but he would work hard to be Seeker. He knew one day, he would do it.

James ran back downstairs, where his parents were holding the Floo Powder bucket.

"Ready, James? Don't forget your list!"

James ran back to the kitchen table, stuffed his list in his pocket, and eagerly walked to the fireplace.

"Alright, one, two, three."

James shouted, "Diagon Alley!"

He found himself in a sweetshop. He looked around, and saw a sign reading "Honeyduke's Sweetshop." He could see all sorts of candy, from Chocolate Frogs to Cockroach Clusters. This, he decided, would definitely be a place to visit in the future. He searched his pockets for Galleons, and they came up empty. He turned around, and saw his father, then his mother stepping out of the fireplace.

"I see that glint in your eye, James. We'll come back here if you behave while we get the rest of your school supplies," Mrs. Potter said.

James nodded, and walked with his parents through the crowded streets. They approached a towering building, Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

He walked inside with his parents, looking around at all that surrounded him. James had never been to Diagon Alley before, although he knew of it. Whenever his parents took a trip, he opted to stay home and practice Quidditch. Now, he wondered how he had managed to stay away.

His parents walked up to one of the goblins, said a few words, then began to follow him. James walked eagerly next to them, waiting to see where they were going. After walking through some creepy passageways, they got into a small cart. It suddenly lurched forward, then began to fly down the tracks. James held on as tight as he could, as he looked over at his parents. Timothy had his hands in the air, and was laughing hysterically. Elisabeth was a different story. She was holding on as tight as she could, as she looked down at the ground. James thought he might have heard her mutter, "I've always hated these things..."

Finally, they arrived at the Potter vault, number 323. The goblin held out his hand, and Timothy handed him the key. James looked at his father, marveling at how much they looked alike. They both had that same, black, messy hair, that never quite cooperated. The same silver-framed glasses. They both were a little on the small side. James had deep, brown eyes, however, while his father had icy blue eyes. James had inherited his eyes from his mother, though he inherited nothing else. He didn't have her bright, blond hair, or her taller build. James had always been small and slight, though he didn't mind. It was the perfect build for a Seeker.

The goblin opened the door, and pushed it open. The Potters stepped inside. James stared in awe. There were large heaps of silver and bronze coins, with a small pile of gold ones. Elisabeth withdrew a small bag from her robes, and began filling it. James loved Wizarding money. The way the coins looked and felt, the intricate carvings in them that never seemed to mean anything. It fascinated him. This was James' first trip to Diagon Alley, and already, he didn't know how he would leave.

After Elisabeth had filled the bag, she passed it to James. He looked at his mother in awe.

"Thank you," he said.

"Just promise me that you won't spend it all in Honeyduke's, or Zonko's. Please?"

"I promise." James was so excited. This money was his to spend in Diagon Alley. He knew he had to get all his school supplies first, of course, but he could go to Honeyduke's, or Fortescue's, or that broomstick shop he had seen...The possibilities were endless! He began to fantasize about his broomstick. It needed a few new twigs, and it could use a nice polish. Of course, first years weren't allowed to have their own, but he could keep it in good repair until his second year.

"James? Earth to James."

Startled, James looked up. He hadn't even noticed the cart moving, as he dreamed about Hogwarts and broomsticks and candy. He climbed out of the cart, and walked with his parents out of the giant building. There were goblins everywhere, with marble columns and pillars. There were scales for weighing gold and jewels, and of course, the enormous cart track.

As they walked back into the sunlight, James checked his list. Robes, he decided. He would go get his robes first. He bade his parents goodbye, and watched them Apparate back to the house. James was alone in Diagon Alley. This would be a great day, he decided. He strolled down the crowded street, clutching his list, although he didn't need it. He had already memorized it.

James found a shop marked, "Madam Malkins' Fine Robes." He walked in the door, and looked around. There were mannequins everywhere, wearing all sorts of robes. It was a rather large shop, despite it's small appearance on the outside. There was a section full of robes just for Hogwarts. He saw four different sets of robes, each with different crests on them. He wondered which ones he would be wearing. Just as he was about to ask someone for help, a plump witch walked up to him.

"New at Hogwarts, dear? Come right this way, I'll help you." They walked over to the school robes, while Madam Malkins launched into an explanation of the robes system.

"When you first arrive at Hogwarts, you wear these robes." She gestured to a set of plain black robes, which had a different crest from the others on it. James recognized it as the school crest, it had been stamped onto his letter. She began measuring him.

"Then, you'll be sorted into a House, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. I was a Hufflepuff myself, you know." She beamed.

"That night, the school elves will stitch your school robes with the colors of your House. Gryffindor is red and gold, Ravenclaw, blue and black, Hufflepuff, yellow and black, and Slytherin, white and green. They'll also give you a few neckties with those colors. On Christmas, they give you a scarf with your House colors knitted in it. I still have mine from each year."

She handed James a few sets of school robes, tailored to fit him perfectly, down to his socks and shoes.

"Do you want me to send these home? Each shop here has an owl service, by the time you get home, it'll be there waiting for you."

James nodded appreciatively; he had been wondering how he would carry everything. He paid for his robes, then left the shop. He watched as an owl carrying a package flew out the window, and headed in the general direction of the Potter home.

James decided to go get his Potions materials next. He walked across the way to the Apothecary, and soon came out again. The man inside had been very helpful, and given James "the Hogwarts Package," with all the necessary materials for school, including a cauldron, scales, and ingredients. James watched this owl depart, quickly joining the owl from Madam Malkins'. They flew away together, until they were specks in the distant sky.

Now James decided to get the most important tool for school, his wand. James had been waiting for this for so long. He remembered playing with his father's wand when he was younger. He had managed to make sparks come out of it, nearly setting the cat on fire. He had watched his parents wave their wands, and see things just happen. Magic. He couldn't wait until he had one of his own. James walked into Ollivander's, the best wandmaker in London, if not the world.

A tiny old man came out to greet him. He measured James just as Madam Malkins had, then darted into the back room, returning with seven wands. He handed the first to James. He waved it, and sent a table flying. The man quickly took it out of his hand, and handed him the next one. James flicked it, and sent dozens of wands flying out of the drawers. Ollivander squeaked, then handed him the third. James waved it, and golden sparks flew out.

"Oh yes! That wand has chosen you, sir! Cherry, thirteen and a half inches, core of dragon heartstring. Excellent, excellent! Ten sickles and a knut, please." James paid Ollivander, thanked him, and walked outside. He wanted to keep his wand with him, instead of sending it home.

James spent the next few hours exploring Diagon Alley. He managed to get all of his supplies, some owl treats for Snitch, some candy from Honeyduke's, and several items from Zonko's Joke Shop. While in Flourish and Blotts, the bookstore, James met a boy named Remus Lupin. Remus had sandy blond hair, with piercing green eyes. He was slight, like James, but a bit taller. A Keeper build, James thought. He seemed very tired, although he was very nice. Remus was going to Hogwarts as well, and he was getting his spellbooks, too. Remus seemed to enjoy reading, he had purchased several extra books. He seemed quiet, the bookish type. James noted he would still be a great friend, he was very friendly, and seemed like a genuine person.

After bidding Remus goodbye, James walked into the fireplace, and pulled out his small bag of Floo Powder. He said, "Godric's Hollow!"

James ended up a few blocks away from his house, at his friend, Marcus' house. Marcus often played against James in Quidditch matches, he was an excellent Beater. James said hello to Marcus, then walked down the street toward the Potter home. He opened the front door, to find his parents waiting in the den.

"James! All of your supplies have arrived, and a considerable amount of joke items, too." His mother smiled.

"Your wand never arrived, though, please tell me you remembered." Her smile quickly changed into a worried line.

James pulled out his wand. His parents examined it with great interest, then they all began to compare. His wand was long, like his mother's, but made of the same material as his father's, cherry wood. He had a unique core, though. His mother's was made of unicorn hair, his father's phoenix feather. After comparing every detail with his parents, and telling them all about his exploration, James walked upstairs. He let Snitch out of his cage to go hunting, then flopped down on his bed. He checked his calendar. August 30th. He still had a whole day left before he could use magic. He began to pack his trunk, eager for the upcoming school year.


End file.
